HEART LIKE YOURS | H.POTTER

008

FRIGHTENING DISCOVERY-008

The Gryffindors decided to celebrate their win in the common room. Fred and George disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of Butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets. Diana, Harry, and Ron danced for a while before heading to bed for the night.

Diana was jolted awake by a blood-curdling scream. She shot up out of bed and grabbed her wand. She threw herself down the stairs and into the common room. It was deserted, expected for Ron, Harry, Dean, Seamus, and Neville.

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?"

"I'm telling you, I saw him!"

"Hey," Diana spoke up. "What happened?"

Ron rushed over to the girl and wrapped his arms around her. "Ana—Sirius Black! In our dorm....with a knife!"

Diana paled with fear that flashed across her face as a few of the girls and boys had come down.

"Everyone back upstairs!" Percy said, hurrying into the common room. His Head Boy badge was pinned on his pajamas.

Ron let go of Diana and hurried towards their brother. "Perce—Sirius Black!" he said faintly. "In our dormitory. With a knife! Woke me up!"

The common room went very still.

"Nonsense," Percy said looking startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron—had a nightmare—"

"Now, really, enough's enough!" Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around. "I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!"

"I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" Percy said, puffing himself up. "I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare—"

"It wasn't a nightmare!" Ron yelled, making Diana jump. "Professor, I woke up and Sirius Black was standing over me, holding a knife!"

Professor McGonagall stared at Ron. "Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have got through the portrait hole?"

"Ask him!" Ron said, pointing a shaky finger at the back of Sir Cardigan's picture. "Ask him if he saw—"

Glaring suspiciously at Ron, McGonagall slipped past some student, Diana, and Harry, who was sitting on the couch. Diana felt dizzy, so Harry sat her on the couch. McGonagall pushed the portrait hole back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath.

"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?"

"Certainly, good lady!" Sir Cadogan cried.

There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room. Diana placed her head in her hands as Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder and looked toward the hole.

"You—you did?" McGonagall was pale as paper. "But—but the password!"

"He had 'em!" Sir Cadogan said proudly. "Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!"

McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. "Which person—" Her voice was strained. "—Which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?"

The utter silence was broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks of Neville, who trembling from head to fluffy-slippered toes, raised his hand slowly in the air. No one in the Gryffindor Tower slept that night. They knew the castle was being searched again, and the whole House stayed awake in the common room, waiting to hear whether Black had been caught.

Some of the Gryffindor kept glancing at Diana, who sat between Ron and Harry on the couch with her head tucked in the redhead's shoulder. McGonagall came back at dawn to tell them that he had again escaped. Diana ran a hand through her hair as the common room became empty. She stood up and walked over to the portrait, only to be stopped by Harry and Ron.

"Ana, where are you going?" Ron asked as he stood up from the couch.

Diana didn't spare a glance at them and replied. "To see Sammy."

She didn't wait for a reply, climbing out of the hole and heading towards the lake. Once she was there, she sat against the tree looking at the lake.

"Dobby." She called. A loud pop! was heard and a smaller green-eyed House-elf stood in front of her.

"What can Dobby do for Miss Black?" he squeaked, his big eyes shining.

Diana smiled kindly at the elf. "Hi, Dobby. Could you wake up Sammy and ask him to come here? And Dobby, I told you to call me Ana."

Dobby's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, thank you, Miss Blac—Ana! Dobby will get Mr. Black right away!" Dobby disappeared with a loud pop!

Not even ten mintures later, Sam came towards her with his PJs still on. His dirty blonde hair was a mess looking as though he had just woken up. He sat next to his sister and ran a hand through his hair.

"What's wrong, Ann?" he asked, glancing at her knowing something was wrong. "You didn't call me here, at 6:30 morning for nothing."

Diana pulled her knees to her chest. "Dad came into the Gryffindor Tower last night. He had a knife, according to Ron. I don't know why I feel like it's my fault, that Dad escaped. You heard Fudge, he escaped coming after us, and Harry—"

"Diana Alice Black, enough! It is not your fault that Sirius Black escaped!  Yes, he's after us and Harry, but that doesn't it's your fault, Ann." Sammy cut her off and grabbed her hands turning her towards him. He took a piece of her grey hair in his fingers. "Ann, Black doesn't define us. We, ourselves define ourselves, not anyone else. Now stop feeling guilty."

He stood up and held a hand for Diana. "C'mon Ann, let's go back inside."

Diana nodded smiling, as she placed her hand in his. The scarlet and sliver wisps climbed up their arms and hands as they walked together back inside.